[Tmetravler]

Hello again! First off thanks for all your help so far! Its been a real eye opener to discover how much cool stuff is in this car! Any who, I read in a Toyota Echo forum.. :laughonfloor(yes, years ago & it was important.. please don't kill me!)

I currently live in Tampa Fla.! (yes, americas wang.. as Homer Simpson once said!) The heat & humidity are murder on cars here! I remember this post from a guy who has a/c lines in the engine bay like the ones I've posted here.... what he did was... wrap them in pipe insulation & made it , somewhat, elegant in appearence!

The effect was that the temps in the car were better after than before.. ( i suppose its the heat transfer along the lines back into the cabin..) :thinkDon't know if this means less wear & tear on the a/c system itself.:think. I plan on wrapping mine soon.. was wondering if anyone has heard of this &/or has done this to their autos.. (hot weather climes. only??)

Just putting this out there as a possible way to keep cooler in the summers & poss save wear & tear! Thanx for reading!!!!!!

 

[walleyecrazy]

Wrapping the cold side would make sense to keep the heat of the engine bay from transferring through the pipe. Wrapping the warm side I think would hurt a/c performance as it would trap the heat in the pipe that you want to dissipate at that point.


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[Tmetravler]

Thanx Walleyecrazy! as soon as I figure out the cold side or flow, Ill wrap the cold side.. & Ill send pics, possibly good for a D.I.Y thread!
Once again, thanx... Ill visit stores tomorrow! (dang hot here!.. oh, btw new car, temp at max fan speed at vents is 40' F... wow!) Im using that temp as a baseline for any future issues that may come up... !

 

[Buzz]

The larger one is the suction (cold) and smaller is high pressure (hot).
My Soul gets very cold too!

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[dmwagner]

Make sure to use some extra-flammable stuff.

 

[Rick Busby]

The larger one is the suction (cold) and smaller is high pressure (hot).
My Soul gets very cold too!

http://www.2carpros.com/images/articles/climate_control/air_conditioner/system/how_air_conditioner_works.jpg[/img


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:goodpost

 

[Rick Busby]

Make sure to use some extra-flammable stuff.

Wagner, you're worse (or better) than I am....:laughonfloor

 

[dmwagner]

Wagner, you're worse (or better) than I am....:laughonfloor

Well come on man, the reason it's cold is because it's under pressure. It's not going to gain any meaningful heat in the pressurized state, regardless of whether you insulate it or route it through a volcano.

 

[kevster]

I've done that before on my ol Jeep. Just use KMP cork tape (its sticky but can be repositioned), and wrap it with foil tape (to better fireproof it). The foil tape can be a bear to get looking pretty, but you don't need much insulation to make a difference since the velocity of the refrigerant isn't sitting anywhere long enough to soak up much heat. even a 1/8" thick foam tape will make a noticeable difference. Try to seal your insulation job as best you can because I would worry about corrosion over the long run if it sweats and retained that moisture between tube and insulation. That and rain or salt spray gets i there and you'll eventually develop corrosion. Shouldn't be too big a deal, but something to think about...
Do NOT wrap the hi pressure side, as walleyecrazy is right and that high heat NEEDS to dissipate.

 

[kevster]

The best thing you folks in Florida can do for your A/C is to keep the bugs clear of the condenser coil. That coil in front of the radiator is where ALL the heat is dissipated. Wash that coil when the skeeters and flying roaches clog em up. You'd be surprised at the reduced efficiency a little mud and bug carcasses cause.